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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: present · degree · net · last · saw · chair · content · chip

  1. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. net — for catching
  3. last — final
  4. chair — a leader
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. net — after costs
  7. last — finally
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. content — happy
  10. saw — the tool
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. last — to go on
  13. present — the time now
  14. degree — temperature
  15. net — in sport
  16. chip — to eat
  17. present — a gift
  18. content — the amount
  19. chip — for betting
  20. degree — an amount
  21. saw — the tool
  22. degree — from a university
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. present — there

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com